• Volunteers planted flowers at the Nancy Moore Park

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - On June 16th, the Meridian Township Parks and Recreation Department hosted an event called “Love a Park Day.” The event was created by Meridian’s Township Treasurer, Phil Deschaine. This event started years ago and has always been a great opportunity for the community to come together.

“We are very excited. We have over forty volunteers working today at six parks. It’s just really going to be a great day and the weather is perfect,” exclaimed LuAnn Maisner, Meridian Township Parks and Recreation Director.

“You know, the Meridian Township Parks Department of Recreation relies heavily on volunteers. Every spring, everything seems to happen; it’s time for softball, soccer and people are renting pavilions. A lot of people are out here on our parks. ‘Love a Park Day’ was created about eight or ten years ago and it is an event that happens every spring. We invite service groups and community members to come out and help us to put the fine touches on our parks. So, today we are just going to be picking up trash, mulching around the tree rings, and planting some flowers at our park signs. It’s just those nice extra things, the fine touches, that really add the charm to our parks,” Maisner expressed.

Volunteers had the option to go to a variety of parks including Ferguson, Hartrick, Hillbrook, Nancy Moore, Orlando, or Wonch. Each location provided the volunteers with tools to help with either picking up litter, planting flowers, or spreading mulch. People of all ages showed up to do their part in helping the environment.

“Honestly, I just thought it would be really nice to do some planting and giving back to the community,” explained Shriya Kethireddy; a volunteer at the Nancy Moore Park.

“I had not been getting out and helping the community for a while, other than through musical projects, so I figured that ‘Love a Park Day,’ I could just love a park by doing what I can to help,” said Audrey Chen; another volunteer at the Nancy Moore Park.

Every little bit of help can make a difference for the environment. So next time you visit a park, do not forget to enjoy the nice weather, go for a walk, and be sure to pick up any litter that you spot too.